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In an interview with MTV, the Minister of Information, Lawyer Paul Morcos, indicated that “the Ministry is working to confront hate speech, incitement and sedition, and to promote a culture of responsibility, despite the difficult stage, in cooperation with international bodies such as UNESCO, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and production companies, through awareness campaigns and videos broadcast on the media and through intensive media communications and meetings, especially with the visual, audio, written and electronic media, in addition to allocating special provisions in a draft law.” New media.
He stressed that “freedom of expression must be exercised to its maximum, but within the framework of responsibility, so that it does not turn into an infringement on the dignity of others or the sanctity of death and martyrdom, or into committing violations that take away freedom of opinion and expression,” adding: “Express your political opinion with respect.”
In response to a question about the negotiations, he said, “Their goal is to obtain Lebanon’s rights by demanding them.” He explained, “The President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, expressed this position in the best way, with boldness and clarity, especially since this is the first time that Lebanon has an independent, sovereign negotiating position despite the military asymmetry.”
Regarding his role as Minister of Information and spokesman for the government, he replied that “there is sometimes confusion among some between my personal position and my role in conveying the decisions of the Council of Ministers,” noting that “ministerial solidarity requires adherence to the decisions taken, even if I do not agree with one of them, so what if I am responsible for announcing and explaining them.”
He stressed that his mission “requires explaining these decisions to public opinion honestly, clarifying their backgrounds and the mechanism for making them, and ensuring that they are announced in the correct manner.”
In another context, Minister Morcos touched on the reality of the media in light of the current conditions, noting that “the media arena is witnessing intense debates, but freedom of expression remains sacred and guaranteed in Lebanon, reiterating the call to reject the discourse of division, sedition, and incitement.”
He pointed out that the Ministry “does not have powers over social media, but it works to encourage the responsible use of these platforms, in a way that prevents insulting others or violating their rights. We have sent more than one call for this and we undertake constant communications for this purpose.”
Regarding the possibility of approving the media law soon, he said: “I fear that it will come more late. I pushed for its approval in the Administration and Justice Committee headed by Representative George Uqais and in the parent committee headed by Representative George Adwan. Thank you, until it is approved in the final stage. But we were surprised by referring it to a subcommittee in the joint committees, and I hope there is no political desire not to approve it. Otherwise, we will continue to implement an old law that does not keep pace with developments, does not regulate websites, and does not combat hatred, and we will push more in this direction until we reach To approve it, the matter is up to the House of Representatives.” He pointed out, “Lebanon’s development globally in the issue of freedom of media work and its classification, during this presidential era. When I took over the ministry, its position was at 140 globally, and this does not resemble Lebanon. After a few months, its position became ranked 132, and yesterday the ranking reached 115. We hope that we will continue this progress after the approval of the new media law, which Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab promised to accomplish within a period of 15 days, which will push us to collect greater support.” For the Lebanese media, especially the private media, which will enter into global partnerships, and it needs various financial, logistical, and technical training support in light of a modern, liberal law. This is an ongoing cumulative work for the Ministry of Information, and I do not attribute it to myself only.”
